Bob Coolen is a true believer in the concept of too much information.

He possessed the same amount of knowledge about the Notre Dame softball team at the end of a 4½-hour bus ride Tuesday from El Paso, Texas, to Tucson, Ariz., that he had at its beginning.

None. Or so he claims.

Of course, the University of Hawaii coach knows the Fighting Irish are the first opponent his Rainbow Wahine will face in the NCAA tournament Friday. Other than that, he says he doesn’t need much more info than game time and location. And neither do his players.

It’s an unconventional approach, especially in this age when so much data is available and whenever you want it. Even while you’re rolling through the desert all you need is a laptop, tablet, smart phone or smart seatmate.

But, for the most part, Coolen eschews scouting. He has for years.

And it certainly didn’t hurt UH this season, as Hawaii enters the NCAA tournament having won 44 of its 51 games. Yes, the Wahine come off a poor showing in the WAC tournament, losing two games in a row for the first time this season last Friday. But that can’t be blamed on not knowing their opponents; Hawaii had beaten Fresno State in all three regular-season meetings and split a pair of games against BYU (the third was canceled due to weather).

UH played without confidence, Coolen said. Mistakes in all major phases of the game cost them the championship, the WAC’s automatic NCAA bid and perhaps hosting a regional. “I think they’re mad at themselves for letting each other down and getting to a point where one miscue led to another miscue.”

But there was no state of shock, he said, and Coolen expects no lasting effects come Friday.

HE KNOWS his players will talk about the Fighting Irish personnel in the coming days (especially because some of them played high school travel ball together).

And he knows some of them will sneak a look at the Notre Dame stats. When they do, they will find the Fighting Irish are 38-14, with a .305 team batting average and 2.28 ERA. If Coolen does so himself, he won’t mention Dani Miller’s 16 homers and .340 batting average or Laura Winter’s 266 strikeouts in 238 innings. What he will do is give the Wahine a healthy serving of Winter’s favorite offerings when he pitches batting practice.

“They’ll notice if I throw a lot of high pitches, or I throw a lot of changeups,” Coolen said. “We’re not gonna watch (tape of) opponents (games). For other teams’ hitting it doesn’t matter because those aren’t our pitchers throwing to them. For their pitchers, it doesn’t matter if they throw it 75 mph or 55 mph. If we can make the proper adjustments, we will win games.

“I started to metamorphose to this about five years ago. We used to worry so much about opposing pitchers our hitters started to get psyched out. Why put that in your hitters’ minds? It cramps up their style.”

That’s why when Coolen was asked about Alabama ace Kelsi Dunne two years ago, he admitted he didn’t know her from Kelsey Grammer. “That was sincere, I didn’t know who she was and I was mercilessly chastised for it,” said Coolen, who acknowledged that Dunne was “a good pitcher” after she proceeded to mow down the Wahine in the first game of their super regional.

Then UH adjusted just enough in the deciding game to beat Dunne, with Jenna Rodriguez’s dramatic walk-off homer sending Hawaii to the College World Series.

It was the embodiment of Coolen’s philosophy.

“(The UH hitters) figured it out after the first game,” he said. “I didn’t follow Alabama softball. If I did that, I’d have no time for my own team.”